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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. swing — music
  4. charge — a price
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. stem — to come from
  7. swing — to play on
  8. content — happy
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. bank — for money
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. swing — in golf
  14. bank — of a river
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. saw — the tool
  17. charge — electricity
  18. saw — the tool
  19. content — the amount
  20. bank — for money
  21. pass — a permit
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. charge — in control
  24. fork — in a road

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com